Stewart Southern Railway, Saskatchewan’s 11th operational short line railway,is scheduled to mark an official grand opening Friday in Fillmore, Saskatchewan, roughly 65 miles southeast of Regina, the provincial capital.

The event in Fillmore will take place at Fill-More Seeds Inc. , and will include speeches from various dignitaries, and also offer a chance to review the railroad’s equipment and facilities, according to Gail Anderson, administrative coordinator for both Fill-More Seeds Inc. and Stewart Southern Railway Inc.

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Stewart Southern Railway, Saskatchewan’s 11th operational short line railway, is scheduled to mark an official grand opening Friday in Fillmore, Saskatchewan, roughly 65 miles southeast of Regina, the provincial capital. ...

Through SaaS, the railroads can be remotely dispatched by G&W anywhere an internet connection is available. That allows relocation of dispatchers to alternative locations as required. Additionally, railroad management can log in from an office, home, or even from a hotel and directly view dispatching activity and management reports.

Since the DOC® control application resides on servers within RailComm’s managed data center in Rochester, N.Y., the requirement for local IT support at each railroad is greatly reduced, the company says.

Union Pacific has unveiled its new AutoFlex™ convertible multi-level car for transporting vehicles. UP said it holds 15 patents related to the design and process in developing the car, designed by UP’s engineering group and built by UP forces at the railroad’s DeSoto, Mo., car shop.

UP said the 90-foot-long car can be adjusted to bi-level or tri-level vehicle transport while using the same rack structure.

UP claimed these benefits for AutoFlex™ customers:

* “Easier convertibility and more flexibility resulting from the ability to quickly and efficiently adjust the rail car to transport large or small vehicles.

* “Superior security by removing exterior ladder access to the railcar roof and upper decks. The ladder is accessible only when the end doors are open.”

“Improving safety and efficiency create greater value for our customers,” said Julie Krehbiel, Union Pacific vice president and general manager - Automotive. “With the AutoFlex™ convertible multi-level, we can more easily adjust to changes in consumer purchasing trends and keep our customers’ products moving. This is a newly engineered railcar, not a converted bi-level car, and our engineering group did an outstanding job in developing this new railcar.”

“Results of our preliminary tests have been very promising in terms of vibration, stability and overall ride quality,” said Barry Kanuch, Union Pacific chief mechanical officer. “We are excited about the car’s performance so far.”

UP spokesman Tom Lange said current plans call for constructing 100 AutoFlex™ cars per year for the foreseeable future. UP will build the cars itself in DeSoto.

The Greenbrier Companies announced Wednesday that it has received orders totaling is approximately $130 million for new and refurbished railcars.

Included are orders for 1,000 new double-stack intermodal platforms and more than 700 new covered hopper cars. Greenbrier will also re-engineer and modify approximately 1,100 existing double-stack platforms to 53 feet from smaller dimensions.

The new orders and refurbishment work will be carried out at the company’s Gunderson and Greenbrier Rail Services facilities in 2010 and 2011. “The orders are from five separate customers, and are subject to final documentation, but are considered to be firm commitments,” said Greenbrier. “The customers represent major railroad and leasing companies in North America.”

Greenbrier announced that it will increase its workforce by 260 workers at its Gunderson facility in Portland, Ore., bringing total employment to more than 900. These additions will be carried out both by calling back workers furloughed during the industry downturn and by new hires. The company said it will divert approximately 175 workers from its ocean-going marine barge construction at Gunderson to new railcar production as a result of current softness in the marine market.

Greenbrier said the new and refurbished railcars will support a growing need for 53-foot double-stack well capacity in North America, despite a continued surplus of 40-foot and 48-foot equipment. “Double-stack freight cars transport various sizes of containers stacked two high,” noted the builder. “The majority of such railcars are constructed to haul 40-foot international ocean-going containers. The recent strong growth in 53-foot domestic containerization allows railroad shippers to compete effectively with longer and heavier trucks on the nation’s highways. Greenbrier is adjusting its production to fulfill this growing demand.”

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The Greenbrier Companies announced Wednesday that it has received orders totaling is approximately $130 million for new and refurbished railcars.Included are orders for 1,000 new double-stack intermodal platforms and more than 700 new ...

Two of New York City's busy commuter and intercity passenger rail operations suffered serious disruptions Tuesday morning when a perfect storm-fire in a Long Island Rail Road interlocking tower and a catenary power outage on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor-seriously curtailed or shut down service, a ...

Invensys Rail says it will have its biggest ever presence at InnoTrans this year with a massive exhibit (Hall 4.2, Stand 215) "packed with demonstrations of the company's latest developments and innovations and more than 30 of the company's experts from around the world on hand to showcase t ...

The American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF), the charitable affiliate of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), provides scholarships, fellowships, transit education, and research programs for students and professionals involved in or entering the public transportation field ...

Watco Transportation Services Inc. (WTS), the Pittsburg, Kan.-based operator of 22 short lines railroads in the U.S., has joined the Association of American Railroads with a full membership. Watco roads operate more than 3,700 track miles in 18 states. Watco will have access to all association services and will be eligible to serve on AAR committees and the AAR Board.

“The addition of WTS broadens our membership and strengthens our ability to represent our industry effectively before the decision makers that shape policy and law affecting railroads,” said AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger.

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Watco Transportation Services Inc. (WTS), the Pittsburg, Kan.-based operator of 22 short lines railroads in the U.S., has joined the Association of American Railroads with a full membership. Watco roads operate more than 3,700 track miles in 18 states. Watco ...

The Surface Transportation Board announced that it has scheduled an oral argument for Sept. 28 in Arizona Electric Power Cooperative’s challenge of BNSF Union Pacific coal transportation rates from New Mexico and the northern part of the Powder River Basin, in Wyoming and Montana, to AEPCO’s generating station near Cochise, Ariz.

The oral argument will be held in hearing room at STB headquarters in Washington, D.C.

A live video broadcast of the argument will be available via the STB’s Website at www.stb.dot.gov, under “Information Center”/”Website”/”Live video” on the home page.

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The Surface Transportation Board announced that it has scheduled an oral argument for Sept. 28 in Arizona Electric Power Cooperative’s challenge of BNSF Union Pacific coal transportation rates from New Mexico and the northern part of the ...

Szabo took pains to explain the FRA’s “core principles” for HrSR. Among these are preserving and improving America’s “world class” freight rail system; achieving a balance that protects both public and private interests, addressing the needs of both; and ensuring that “quantifiable performance objectives” are achieved and maintained.

Noting that 53% of the nation’s rail capacity has been removed since 1960, Szabo recommended that freight and passenger interests work closely together and utilize such tools as computer modeling to develop “appropriate capacity” and “ensure mutual cooperation.”

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In a press conference this morning to provide an update on the Federal Railroad Administration’s High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program, FRA Administrator Joe Szabo (pictured) said the agency has “pulled back” the stakeholder guidance it has issued for shared-use freight r ...